IMAGES OF ANCIENT PERSIA Printmaking By Jerry Di Falco

Year:

Medium:

Etching Print

Size - (USA):

12 W x 15 H x 1 D (inches)

Size - (metric):

30.5 W x 38.1 H x 2.5 D (centimeters)

Theme:

History

Edition:

8

Artwork ID:

484052

PDF Copy:

Artwork Info Sheet (PDF)

Artwork Description:

This etching employs four individual zinc plates, aligned on the printing press bed in a two-over-two design, to produce one single image. STONEHENGE brand cream paper was then placed over the inked plates before I ran them through the press. I also used a blend of oil based, Charbonnel brand etching inks from Paris. I hand printed all EDITIONS at The Open Studio in Etching, a professional workshop for established artists at The Center for Works on Paper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US., which is a part of the Fleischer Art Memorial located just one block away. My printmaking techniques for this four plate etching included aquatint, intaglio and drypoint. The work was inspired by photographic images from archeological expeditions in Iran 1931-1939, conducted by The University of Chicago, Oriental Institute, of the ancient city of Persepolis. The images are carved reliefs from THE APADANA a massive hypostyle hall. Persepolis, meaning city of Persians, was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire, around 550 to 330 BC. Persepolis is situated 70 km northeast of city of Shiraz in the Fars Province in Iran. The earliest remains of Persepolis date from around 515 BC. It exemplifies the Achaemenid style of architecture. UNESCO declared the citadel of Persepolis a World Heritage Site in 1979. Apadana, a word from Old Persian, represents a large hypostyle hall, the best known examples being the great audience hall and portico at Persepolis and the palace of Susa. The Persepolis Apadana belongs to the oldest building phase of the city of Persepolis, the first half of the 5th century BC, as part of the original design by Darius the Great. Its construction completed by Xerxes I. The images in my etching depict at TOP LEFT, a detail of a relief showing a hand with vase carried by a Syrian Tribute-Bearer. At TOP RIGHT, from The Apadana Eastern Stairway, we see a facial detail in relief of a Cappadocian, or someone from Turkey. At the BOTTOM LEFT, an image from The Apadana Eastern Stairway, we see another facial detail of an Arabian Tribute Bearer sans curly beard. In the BOTTOM RIGHT or the print, from The Apadana Stairway, a detail of an amphora, adorned with two winged griffin heads, is carried by an Armenian tribute bearer. I used both HARD and SOFT grounds, both liquid and hard-ball type, and twelve separate nitric acid baths for each zinc plate to achieve the haunting effects in this work, which took over three months to complete. This work is from the FIRST EDITION of THREE EDITIONS, or THE VIOLET EDITION. Each zinc plate measures 5 inches high by 4 inches wide, or 12.700cm x 10.160cm. The print size is 15 inches high by 12 inches wide, or 26cm x 21cm. Please note that this etching is shipped to the collector without a frame or mat. This keeps the price low and allows the collector personal choice in matt selection and framing. A sturdy cardboard box is employed for shipping the work. The etching is first wrapped in two layers of acid free glassine and then placed between two archival boards. This is next placed into the shipping carton and securely packed with bubble wrap. The Absolute Arts Dot Com price includes all handling costs, shipment supplies, and the coast of the shipment box. Mailing costs are added.

Artwork Keywords:   Original Printmaking

Materials:   Etching Prints